The article provides information about new findings of fungi included in the Red Data Book of the Murmansk Region after the publication of its second edition (2014): Cantharellus cibarius, Clavariadelphus pistillaris, C. truncatus, Clavicorona taxophila, Cortinarius violaceus, Dichomitus squalens, Flaviporus citrinellus, Hericium coralloides, Junghuhnia collabens, Leptoporus mollis, Sidera lenis, Skeletocutis lilacina. It is suggested that the rarity category for Skeletocutis lilacina should be lowered. Craterellus cornucopioides, Haploporus odorus, and Phaeoclavulina roellinii are proposed as candidates for inclusion in the next edition of the regional Red Data Book.

The studies of cryptogams in the Green Belt of Fennoscandia (GBF) within Murmansk Region are reviewed and summarized. This territory, important in terms of biodiversity conservation, encompasses 13 operating protected areas, yet remains insufficiently studied. At first, since the mid-19 th century, Finnish scientists played the key role in detecting the cryptogam biota of the GBF. They organized and carried out field surveys, as well as further taxonomic identifications and treatments of individual groups. Later, in the 20 th century, intensive studies of cryptogams were associated with economic developments in the region, the establishment and activities of biological institutions in Murmansk Region: Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute and Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems of the Kola Science Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, science departments of strict nature reserves. At the beginning of the 21 st century, Forest Research Institute and Institute of Biology of the Karelian Research Centre RAS became involved in the studies. The research mostly focused on the general biodiversity exploration of the territory, but at the same time some new taxa were discovered within various groups of organisms. An analysis of the current state of knowledge shows that algae and fungi in the GBF within Murmansk Region have been studied rather fragmentarily, and the known species composition does not reflect their real diversity. Lichens, mosses and liverworts of the territory have been revealed to a much greater extent. The Pasvik Strict Nature Reserve, the Ainov Islands of Kandalakshsky Strict Nature Reserve, the Nature Park The Rybachy and the Sredny Peninsulas and the regional nature reserve (zakaznik) Kutsa are the best studied areas, and the bulk of the cryptogam diversity of the GBF is concentrated there.

The list of ground-dwelling aphyllophoroid fungi of the Lapland State Biosphere Reserve is presented on the basis of expedition materials and revision of herbarium specimens. The article addressed the issue of their distribution within the reserve and in the Murmansk Region at large. At the moment, there are 73 species in the reserve territory, 51 of them are new findings for the reserve. Seven species - Ceratellopsis sagittiformis, Craterellus lutescens, Hydnum umbilicatum, Macrotyphula tremula, Ramaria neoformosa, Ramaria roellinii, Typhula subvariabilis are new records for the Murmansk Region. The following four species were excluded from the Lapland Biosphere Reserve mycobiota: Boletopsis leucomelaena, Clavaria fumosa, Hydnellum compactum, Ramaria flava.

The article gives information about the changes in the list of of fungi to be listed in the second edition of the Red Book of the Murmansk region. The new list includes 18 protected of fungi (one was excluded from the list of protected, 12 were included for the first time). Categories of fungi are distributed as follows: 14 are rare species (category 3), 3 are vulnerable (category 2) and 1 obtained uncertain status (category 4) because there are no sufficient data to confirm its distribution. For each protected species, this paper gives a brief overview of its distribution, habitat conditions in the region and representation in the Red Book of Russian regions and European countries.

Based on the published material and data obtained in the field conditions the analysis of the species composition study of aphyllophoroid fungi is presented. There are at present over 300 species of aphyllophoroid fungi in the Murmansk region, which belong to 50 families and 128 genera. The indicator fungi were found in old-growth spruce-dominated and pine-dominated forests. Rare species data are also provided.